Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-02

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

The growth of online shopping will one day lead to all shops in towns and cities closing.

Do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

 

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Online purchases have become very common in today's world, however few people still prefers in-person shopping. Although, digital shopping is increasing significantly it won't impact the local shops in the town or cities. I firmly disagree with the view as manual shopping offers trials and personalized touch with the shopkeeper.

Firstly, trying on clothes before purchasing is very important as it gives you a clear idea if it suits your personality. For example, all styles of the jeans does not look good on every body type, but trying the jeans gives clear idea to the buyer and whether it suits him or not. Secondly, manual shopping creates a personal touch with the seller and builds a relationship. To cite an example, purchasing clothes from a shop regularly builds a connection between both the parties and helps to get discounted price. It is not possible while shopping online.

Furthermore, returns and exchanges of clothes is very convenient compared to digital purchases. For instance, individuals can visit the store and return or exchanges easily. The payment for return are also processed immediately by the owner, whereas e-shopping will require multiple days to process the refund. However, digital shopping is very convenient and provides flexibility to purchase anything from anywhere in the world. To provide an example, buyers can purchase clothes of US based brand from India through their online portal.

To conclude, digital shopping has seen rapid increase and has impacted in-person shopping. However, closing down of stores won't be affected due to it. I believe manual shopping has numerous benefits which online shopping does not cater.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all parts of the prompt and maintained a clear position throughout the essay. Your arguments regarding the benefits of in-person shopping, such as the ability to try on items and the personal relationship with shopkeepers, are relevant and well-supported with examples. However, the development of these ideas could be more sophisticated. For instance, the counter-argument regarding the convenience of online shopping is briefly mentioned but could be better integrated to strengthen your overall stance. To reach a higher band, ensure that your supporting examples are fully linked to the main argument to avoid any tendency to over-generalise.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organised with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use a range of cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'Furthermore', and 'To conclude' to guide the reader through your arguments. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing could be more precise. For example, in the third paragraph, the shift from discussing returns to the benefits of online shopping is a bit abrupt. Improving the flow between sentences and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus will help you achieve a higher score in this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'personalized touch', 'discounted price', and 'flexibility'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'manual shopping' (which is better expressed as 'in-store shopping' or 'traditional retail') and 'closing down of stores won't be affected' (which is slightly awkward phrasing). While your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, incorporating more precise, topic-specific collocations would enhance the sophistication of your writing and help you move into the higher band range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this level. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('few people still prefers', 'all styles of the jeans does not look') and minor errors with articles and prepositions ('the closing down of stores', 'payment for return are'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and pluralisation will significantly improve your accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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